Amber Rachdi was 23 years old and weighed 300 kilos when she appeared on the third season of ‘My 600-lb Life’ in 2015.
The young woman from Oregon, United States, was desperate to get back to the person she had been before gaining weight. She had always had a difficult relationship with food, but it became an obvious problem during her adolescence, and by adulthood, her extreme obesity was taking a toll not only on her body: it was also robbing her of the ability to feel worthy.
When she decided to ask British surgeon Younan Nowzaradan for help, the biggest obstacle wasn’t on her plate. Her partner at the time didn’t help her meet her goals and, as seen on the show, made her think her fears were bigger than they really were.
At first, Amber thought she would never be able to follow the doctor’s instructions. Against all odds, she changed her diet and began losing weight so she could qualify for surgery. By the end of the show, she had undergone gastric bypass and lost 170 kilos.
Today, her transformation continues to inspire thousands of people on social media.